M4.8 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Fri, Dec 20, 1985, 10:58 PM GMT+12 (10:58 UTC), 618 km (384 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 Fiji region. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1985-12-20 10:58:48 UTC
- Depth
- 617.5 km (383.7 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 18.312° S, 177.780° W
- Region
- Fiji
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- FROM_LOCATION
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 3.9Fiji region · 14874 days ago · 433 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.2229 km E of Levuka, Fiji · 14871 days ago · 554 km deep · 92 km away
- 5.5Fiji region · 14850 days ago · 634 km deep · 12 km away
- 4.8276 km E of Levuka, Fiji · 14840 days ago · 571 km deep · 44 km away
- 4.3272 km E of Levuka, Fiji · 14835 days ago · 601 km deep · 41 km away
- 4.6294 km E of Levuka, Fiji · 14832 days ago · 467 km deep · 66 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002p44. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:30 AM UTC.